NFL owners have reportedly been informally notified to be ready for a potential vote on a deal between the NFL and The Walt Disney Company; Colin Cowherd discussed the potential new lineup at FS1; and the College Basketball Crown is returning with some modifications. Plus additional news about NFL Network, Las Vegas Raiders radio broadcasts, Kay Adams and affiliates for Cowherd’s show, “The Herd.”
NFL owners could reportedly vote on Disney media deal next month
National Football League owners have been informally notified to be ready for a potential vote next month to grant control of the league’s media assets to The Walt Disney Company, according to Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports. Fisher also reported that the NFL could also obtain an equity stake in ESPN, something that was said to be in “advanced talks” by The Athletic last January in exchange for control of NFL Media.
While the NFL has the ability to opt out of most of its national media contracts after the 2029 season, sources indicated to John Ourand of Puck News that the league could try to renegotiate new deals with the networks before it approaches. It should be noted that the opt-out clause in the ESPN contract with the NFL reportedly does not take place until after the 2030 season, which culminates with the final Super Bowl broadcast for The Walt Disney Company under the existing deal.
This past February, Ourand reported the resumption of conversations about ESPN taking over some parts of NFL Media, including the NFL Network and NFL RedZone. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic previously indicated “optimism on both sides” and that the deal could be for as much as $2 billion.
ESPN is planning to launch its direct-to-consumer streaming service in the early fall, which will allow fans to access broadcasts of Monday Night Football, shoulder programming and other sports content without a cable subscription. The network is coming off the second-most watched season of MNF since the series moved to ESPN in 2006. The Walt Disney Company is broadcasting its first Super Bowl in two decades at the conclusion of the 2026 season, marking the first time the contest will also air on ESPN.
Colin Cowherd discusses potential new FS1 lineup
FS1 host Colin Cowherd said Monday that he expects the network’s new Barstool Sports morning show to run live from 8-10 AM ET and then be replayed in the 10 AM-Noon window that leads into his show. “My guess is based on what I’m hearing about Portnoy, “Pardon My Take” guys, they’ll do a two-hour show and then they’ll run it again as a replay,” Cowherd said on the latest edition of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “So that’s not necessarily a dynamic lead-in, but I think it is a cost-effective measure and it makes us younger on FS1, which I’m for.”
Fox Sports recently reached an agreement with Barstool that will include a daily morning show and the addition of Dave Portnoy to the FOX “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame. Ahead of the official announcement, it was reported that FS1 had cancelled both of its morning shows, “Breakfast Ball” and “The Facility.”
College Basketball Crown returning for second year
Fox Sports and AEG have announced that the College Basketball Crown tournament is returning next April from Las Vegas, Nev., but the field is being cut in half to eight teams. The inaugural tournament featured teams that represented seven college basketball conferences and averaged 260,000 viewers in its first year.
“We launched the College Basketball Crown to create more opportunities for elite competition during the thrilling college basketball post-season — and we saw an incredible response from fans, conferences, and players for the inaugural tournament,” Jordan Bazant, executive vice president at Fox Sports and board member of the College Basketball Crown, said in a statement. “We look forward to building on that momentum this spring by delivering high stakes matchups between top teams throughout the competition on FOX and FS1.”
Under the terms of the aforementioned content agreement with Barstool Sports, the company will contribute to the College Basketball Crown and other college basketball coverage on the network.
Plus: NFL Network, Las Vegas Raiders, Kay Adams, ‘The Herd’ Affiliates
- NFL Network has announced coverage of training camps around the league utilizing its roster of on-air talent and various team reporters starting this weekend. The network will also editions of “Inside Training Camp” beginning on Monday, July 28 and implement coverage within “Good Morning Football” and “The Insiders.”
- Former Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison has been named the color analyst for the team’s live game radio broadcasts. Morrison is working alongside play-by-play announcer Jason Horowitz and moves into the role previously held by Lincoln Kennedy, who will be on the pregame and postgame shows.
- Kay Adams is hosting the new “Netflix Sports Club” podcast on which she is talking about sports programming from the company through interviews and discussions with correspondents. Adams recently interviewed Detroit Lions star Jared Goff, who was featured in the second season of “Quarterback” produced by NFL Films, Omaha Productions and 2PM Productions and streaming on Netflix.
- Colin Cowherd’s FS1/Fox Sports Radio show, “The Herd,” will start airing on iHeartMedia-owned Rip City Radio 620 in Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, marking the 400th affiliate for the program. Cowherd previously worked in Portland as a sportscaster and radio host before moving to the national airwaves in 2003.
